Flint Knapping

Flint, otherwise known as chert, is a limestone rock often found in chalk cliffs formed from silica laid down from the skeletons of plankton and sea sponges.

Flint tool production (known as lithic technology) dates back to prehistory & is the first ever technology. Techniques have evolved from the first simple flake tools to the very complex bi-facial eccentrics of the Aztec s. Even in recent history flint pieces such as gun flints were in manufacture.

Early knapping tools were hammers of hard stone, but developed considerably to softer percussion flaking hammers ( or billets) made of bone, ivory, antler or wood and techniques developed to those of pressure flaking, notching, percussion flaking, stemming, indirect percussion and fluting.

A good piece of obsidian can produce a cutting edge hundreds of times sharper than the best steel scalpel blade, yet the most elaborate flint artefacts were made for ritual purposes with some flint creations of very complex shapes.

Knapping stone is a fast growing hobby & with sufficient ability you can produce a huge variety of items such as arrowheads, spears, knives, blade cores, scrapers, axe heads & jewellery.